RWBY: L.U.C.K.
RWBY: L.U.C.K. & Misfortune Where Everything Begins (& Ends) Day 1 was a harrowing day, to be sure. Starting off with the team leader almost oversleeping past first period, they had nearly crashed headfirst into a number of First Year students that had suffered the same misfortune. After a mad dash allowed them to make it to Professor Port's Grimm Studies Class, they had witnessed Weiss Schnee being humbled by a giant pig grimm and next came. Professor Oobleck's History Class came next which was surprisingly enthralling just due to the man's hasty manner of speech and movements maneuvering all over the class. Lunch was hectic, what with Lucia and Umber trying to steal each other's food while Cerise just tried to eat in peace beyond Kobi's teasing. Professor Peach was Dust Class, which pretty much substituted what normal people had for chemistry and science, teaching everyone the dangers and uses of the magic-like powder found frequently across Remnant. Professor Conan was the Language Teacher, helping students know how to write both professionally and in code. Professor Oda was the taciturn and strict man who was responsible for us understanding all aspects of weapons including ones we entered the Academy with, and how to make suggestions far into the future; while also using half of the class time to test them out at a part-shooting range but weapons' training. And the final class that every student was highly anticipating: Self-Directed Sparring aka "Combat Class" by the hardass teacher herself, Glynda Goodwitch. She was infamous in Beacon for not only being the strictest but also the most blunt of her colleagues. She taught the same class for all three years in the afternoon, similar to how Professor Peach taught Dust Class for the morning and afternoon for all three years. She was indespensible for her discretion in how far to take a fight, and how short it should be cut, all for the sake of growing the students' individual to team strength in human-to-human combat. "Oh man! I'm so PUMPED!" Team LUCK's battle junkie, Umber Fengxian said with muscular arms flexing upward as he strode with long legs and his broad shoulders taking up a good amount of space comparably to the rest of his team. He wore red crescent shoulderplates, with his chest and back with tight protective mesh of the same hue but with golden dragonic wings on the back and a fiery beast's face on the front. His Halberd-High-Empact-Rifle Hybrid clinked audibly with every step, being a visible icon of himself as much as his fiery red hair combed back into a pair of arching twin-tails. This left his face with sharp angled features reveal deep red scales around his eyes and mouth, with golden eyes with slitted pupils similarly to the clawed fingers that he wore armored plating from his arms down his digits akin to his feet. "I can't wait to deck one of those high and mighty First Years in the face!" "Umber, I think you'd pulverize them if you tried to swing that behemoth at them," Cerise Artoria, the scarlet red-head -comprised in a braided ponytail while her- of the group and a slightly taller young woman with more traditional protectional wear. With blue outlined breastplate with the image of a rippling body of water on the front, she was covered along the shoulders, arms and legs in lightweight metallic plating with a V-skirt of chainmail that wrapped around her waist to cover her flanks and posterior. A single sword was adorned on her left hip, embroidered in gold and blue, giving her a distinct traditional look as far as weapons concerned. "Besides, I'm pretty sure Lucia would beat you to the punch if we let her. Did you see what she did to that big Grimm?" "Oh that was nothing!" Umbra jeered with a thumb placed on his chest. "I had it right where I wanted it." "In range for Lucia to swoop in for the kill?" Teased the pink haired man of the group, Kobi Merlinnus. Unlike the others, he wore what equated to white etched black robe whose hood was let down to reveal partially braided jewels held aloft to frame his evenly cut bangs and visibly red eyes. His rounded face showed a charming youth but the mischief alit in his crimson orbs showed that he was much more than a pretty face. His weapon was unseen, but his teammates would testify that he was quite capable and was deservedly assigned to their squad. "After all, she seems to kill-steal from you a lot." "As if she'd do something that low," Umbra started, looking over with a visibly glowing pair of eyes to stare in accusation as much as ignorance at the Wolf-Girl Faunus standing beside him. "Right, Lucia?!" Lucia Fuchsia, the wolf Faunus of team LUCK, as well as its leader, wasn’t the type of person to let something as petty as well-deserved comeuppance give her a reason to be happy watching a classmate fail in spectacular fashion. At least not in an obvious way. Watching the heiress to the Schnee fortune get taught a lesson by perhaps one of the most common Grimm made the canine girl smile, just a little. Oobleck’s class was surprisingly hilarious, more than what she could ever expect from something as typically bland as history. The man’s overly-energetic manner made it entertaining to actually learn and also gave her an incentive to actually pay attention so she didn’t miss anything. Lunch was a chaotic mess, as expected. Lucia spent as much time defending her food from Umbra as she spent eating it or trying to take his own in retaliation, though for the most part it was in good fun. After lunch and the relaxation it offered came Dust training, followed quickly by weapon training, two classes Lucia enjoyed, but the highlight of her day was yet to come. Combat class, where she could finally show what she was made of, what made her so good that Beacon, the most renowned school in all of Remnant, was the only place she could continue her education. Walking down the hallway to their class, she listened as her team bickered playfully about her tendency to “kill-steal” if given the chance. Like them, she wore her battle attire, a pale purple shirt with a hooded, short-sleeved, white jacket, light grey fingerless gloves, the right glove bearing her personal sigil, knee-length shorts and combat boots. Like everyone from Vacuo, she favored keeping things light and simple while still being capable of dealing with sand. Anything heavier than a light jacket was just asking to cook inside one’s own clothes. Argent Tempest, her High-Velocity Vari-Length Sword, hung at her hip, secured tightly in its sheath. She chuckled and cast a glance at her teammate and brushed back dark violet hair, a mischievous glint in her dark amber eyes. “No, I would never steal your kill. You provided quite a perfect opening for me to get in a killing blow, so it’s more like kill-sharing. Except I get all the credit,” she told him, keeping her voice level as to hide the sarcasm hiding in her words. Umbra didn't know how to process her remark. Was she insulting him by saying that she got all the credit or was she thanking him for helping in the effort of delivering the final blow? Seeing that there was no winning either way, he just angrily clicked his tongue against his teeth, and pocketed his hands as he walked alongside her. "I just hope they pick one of you guys for a fight instead of me," Kobi admitted, looking a little leery as he eyed the crowd of students that were gathered around the Combat Class arena; structured akin to am ampitheater of the old times. "I'm the finesse guy, not the beat the crap out of someone's face guy." "Maybe if you actually trained less on Dust and more on physical fitness you would be more prepared," Cerise proffered with a neutral, blank stare at him. "Let's just let Umbra or Violet fight! They love combat!" "Stop being such a wuss," Umbra reprimanded, licking his lips as an excited grin stretched on his face as they entered the back of the crowd. As the class bell rang, Glynda Goodwitch took center stage. Standing aloft with one foot stepping in front of the other in a methodical sensuous stride her physical attraction ended when anyone caught a glimpse of her cold, cynical eyes. Withdrawing her Dust-infused riding crop, she gestured to the broad screen hanging above the ring in view of the gathered students. "I all hope you had a productive day learning something, future huntresses and huntsmen. Because today, you're going to take what you learned and apply it in a showcasing of what will happen if you meet combatants who aren't Grimm but have just as malicious intentions," She intoned, her eyes glaring at all of them with an equal seriousness that brought chills down their collective spines. "Since this will be your first time in my class I'll set an example using the best of you to review a lesson in difference in power and tactics. First up..." She withdrew a scroll from her backside -no one saw where and how she kept it until now- and went through the list of First Years. Only seconds later, she cracked her riding crop in two directions; one being towards a notorious blonde bombshell, and the other being the Captain of L.U.C.K.. "Yang Xiao Long of Team RWBY, you shall spar with Lucia Fuschia of Team LUCK," She announced, stepping away from the ring to view at the base of the east side of the ampitheater seats. "GO YANG!" A plucky red highlighted girl said with bubbly gusto. "Try not to break too many limbs," A bow-haired girl tried to intone while the blonde girl in question simply swaggered past the crowd of students, cocking her gauntlets. "Wow, I guess you really are up," Cerise blinked with surprise, smiling with encouragement towards her squad leader. "Good luck." "As if she needs it!" "Yang did seem like this year's line of heavy hitters," Umbra said appraisingly, ignoring Kobi's cry of nonchalant eagerness stroking his angled chin with a smirk. "This might be fun to watch." Lucia chuckled and flashed a grin at her teammate. She knew she had gotten under Umbra’s skin with her remark and his silence only confirmed it. She was going to tease him further but held her peace when Kobi piped up and complained about his lack of fighting ability. As the leader of Team LUCK, she felt she would eventually have to remedy that situation. Not only did it reflect on her as the leader when her team lacked but it was also incredibly dangerous for any Huntsman to go in half-prepared for any eventuality. Her team’s well-being and reputation both were squarely on her shoulders. She stood with her team and listened to Glynda’s explanation of what was to be. The irony of being wished a productive day, their first day of classes, was not lost on her. Of course, this wasn’t just the first day, merely the first day of the next step in their training. There was no excuse not to be prepared to do the work needed to reach for the next goal, and the goal after that and so on. It was up to them When her name was called, she couldn’t deny the surprise that she felt at being part of the first fight of the new year. And against the already infamous Team RWBY no less. Ruby had already been singled out for being given a leading role, despite being so much younger than her peers. Rumors already spread that she was given special attention from Ozpin for some reason or another with no two stories ever quite being the same; stories flew fast and loose in Beacon after all. To Lucia however, it didn’t matter. What did matter to the wolf-girl was how well Ruby led her team and if she could rise to the challenge the Headmaster set before her. She let out a mirthless chuckle. “I don’t need luck Ceri, you know that. I make my own.” she said, already focusing on how to deal with the superstar that was Yang. As she walked to her designated spot in the arena, her left hand idly rested on the pommel of her sword. Only when she was in position did she reach with her right hand to grip the weapon and slowly drew it before entering a ready stance, just waiting, sizing up her opponent. Her body tensed, waiting for the signal to begin. "The rules are straightforward enough, even for First Years like you," Glynda spoke aloud, her crop pointing to the screen that showed the icons of Yang's smiling face and Lucia's smug smirking visage. Bars up in the green were beside them with small divets measuring the amount they had in total. "Once either opponent's Aura is in the red, the match ends. However, if one person yields, the match ends or if the other is knocked out of the ring it ends. Everyone understand?" Yang sized up her opponent as Glynda began to state the rules. She had heard that Lucia had made some decisive actions that made her as capable of a warrior as she was a leader of the squad. Just like her battle crazed partner, Umbra, she had the air of someone who loved the action as much as the danger. With a uniquely made weapon to boot, she wondered how careful at a distance she had to be in order land a decisive strike. "Alright you two. On your mark. Get set. BEGIN!" The moment it was said, Yang thrust her arms behind herself as she leaped up into the air. Firing the gauntlets behind her to blast herself in an aerial velocity over towards Lucia she'd descend, firing off a salvo of Fire-Dust spread-shots at her wolf-Faunas opponent before forward flipping around a descending ax kick to slam over her head. It was just the opening strike, but it allowed her to use her momentum while getting a feel for how her fellow Huntress-in-Training was going to fight. Lucia’s eyes widened when Yang just rocketed forward, closing the distance using the force from her gauntlets. It was a clever tactic, one that left the leader of LUCK with too little time to use her own weapon to its fullest. A single half-second’s hesitation cost her greatly but she pushed those thoughts from her mind, eyeing the blonde and just waiting for the opening to present itself. The fire dust rounds were easy enough to deal with, slicing them in two with her sword, showering her body with the sparks they gave off. Glancing at Yang, the wolf-girl saw exactly what she needed to do. Depressing a button on the handle of her sword, metal could be heard grinding as the sword appeared to extend, revealing it’s true form as a serrated whip, the segments held together by a trio of narrow steel cables running from the hilt to the tip of the blade. No sooner than the instant her weapon transformed, Lucia swung her weapon to counter Yang’s axe kick, the now-flexible sword wrapped loosely around the blonde Huntress’ ankle. With another slashing motion, the heavy-hitter of Team RWBY was thrown roughly back to the ground below, impacting the ground a few feet away from the whip-user’s position. Another press of the button and the sword started to retract into its normal state, the two guide-wires to the side ensuring each chevron-shaped segment lined up exactly as they latched securely with small magnets controlled by the switch in the handle. The Vacuo-raised Fanus was no fool, instead choosing to walk a wide circle around Yang instead of going straight in to capitalize on the opening provided. No, that would be the obvious path, instead she would wait for her opponent to provide the next opening for her. Even with a strong Aura, she doubted she could take Yang directly in combat, but there was no need to rush, there wasn’t a strict time limit that mattered, giving her plenty of time to plan out her next move, if she did decide to initiate the next exchange of blows. Yang came down with a bang. Specifically she was whipped backwards by Lucia's trick-sword and thud against the ground with a loud ringing sound. Even as Yang's eyes was dizzied, everyone seemed to make a 'ooooh' sound, with some laughter and others murmuring about just how quick the tables have turned. Despite the violent start, however, Lucia didn't pounce like a lot had suspected. Instead she began circling her prey, carefully keeping her distance while keeping her whip-blade in its collapsed state-. "Ow," Yang winced, pushing herself upright with a slight wobble. Feeling the back of her head she grimaced before looking a bit cautiously at Lucia. "Ok, you want to grab hold of me. Then how would you like this?!" As she spoke, she slammed her Ember Celica together with an ingnition of flames and Dust. The chain reaction cascaded over her body, her Semblance responding by turning her hair a luminescent pale-gold that ebbed tongues of heat. Her whole body seemed to become, in that instant, a walking firebomb and she launched herself with a kneeling crouch that catapulted herself at an even greater velocity towards Lucia. Reaching Lucia's point by a mere foot of separation, a series of explosive punches were released in quick succession. It'd almost be like a mirage, where the blonde bombshell of RWBY was unleashing a furious series of punches to overwhelm her. So long as she didn't enter an optimum range, she was confident that being up close and personal was this girl's weakness; why else would you have a sword turn into a mid-to-long range weapon? Lucia smirked, relieved that Yang wouldn’t stay down so easily. Such an easy first victory would have left a bitter taste in her mouth. She wasn’t bloodthirsty but something about the primal act of fighting gave her a sense of purpose. Perhaps it was just her animalistic nature rearing its head, perhaps it was just her drive to prove herself. Seeing Yang ignite in a flurry of flame and Dust, the wolf-girl’s grin faltered briefly. She was prepared for brute force but not a walking explosion. Even before the blonde crossed the distance between them, she felt the heat radiating from her. It was nothing compared to the sweltering heat of the Vacuo streets at noon but her assessment changed quickly once Yang was right in her face. “''She’s fast''!” Lucia thought, barely weaving away from the onslaught of furious punches. It took all of her concentration and her incredible reflexes to evade each fist. Blasts of hot air from Yang’s body made her sweat. But she noticed something, there was a slight gap in the salvo of fists flying just barely passed her, a gap that she could exploit into an opening. Getting the flow of Yang’s attacks down, she pressed the button on her sword and the moment she saw the opening she needed, she swung the whip-like blade, tying up Yang’s arm in the razor-sharp segments and taking a step forward in the same motion, trying to keep plenty of slack on the wires. She glared at the blonde, catching Yang’s other fist with her free hand, feeling the scalding heat burn her palm even under the glove she wore. “I suggest you surrender,” she said quietly. The way she had Yang’s arm bound by her sword, one wrong move on either of their parts would cause threatening injuries. “Don’t do anything stupid,” she added. She made sure to keep her finger away from the retract switch on her sword, unwilling to cause needless injury to a fellow trainee. Yang felt the whole of her body bend with the flow of the windmill of wire-bound razors. The Dust propelled current ensnared her limb from the gauntlet up to her shoulder, allowing her body to be pinned in such a way that, even while her body was embroiled in the heat of Fire Dust that her Semblance controlled to a degree, she was physically unable to wrench herself out of harm's way. It was such a skilled maneuver she was left in shock, till the words graced her ears and made her face flush into a furious over the shoulder glare that aimed a red eye. "Like I'd give up to you, smug bi-!" A loud blaring sound silenced what retort Yang had to Lucia. The violet Wolf-Faunus would see the blaring red glare over the display screens, ending it over the viewing lens. With the insignia of Yang's Aura dropping to the cusp of Red, while Lucia's remained easily at the top of Yellow, it looked to be the judging margin. "And that's enough," Glynda called out, relieving the tension of the fight while allowing a number of the spectating students to either groan in disappointment or murmur aloud with disbelief. Given the scores and the recorded demonstration, Yang was among the top tier of the rookies entering the Freshman class. With only the likes of Pyrrha Nikos being on par with such a score, Lucia had done something in record time what a lot thought would've dragged out for a grotuitous brawl. "As everyone can see," The blonde bespectacled teacher intoned, adjusting her aforementioned glasses while pointing to her Scroll for the rest to see on the large screen. "You will be granted Aura measurement readers that will help keep track of your energy. The moment you lose your Aura, that means it will be depleted beyond the Red. While sometimes perseverence can get you through a tight spot, as Yang Xiao Long has demonstrated, that means nothing if your enemy is far more quick and prepared for your power to turn it against you. Do keep in mind to not underestimate the enemy, nor overestimate your own abilities." As the next pair of fighters were called up, Yang's heat died instantly, but her attitude didn't immediately go away. Amethyst eyes glared at Lucia with a low contempt but her face was kept in a stoic sullen disposition. When she would finally be relieved by Lucia -on an account that the fight was over- she brushed it off and stomped past the other students out of thering and to her squad with an arm-crossed pout. While Ruby attempted to cheer her up, Blake and Weiss exchanged glances with one another, knowing it was unlikely to dissipate anytime soon; her pride being crushed and all. "Awww, that was way too quick!" Umbra crowed, half laughing and half jeering at his companion upon her eventual return. "You should've played with her more! That would've made a better fight!" "Would Professor Goodwitch even condoned that kind of tomfoolery?" Kobi asked. "Still, it's good to see you didn't cause any unwarranted severances," Cerise joked with a smirk. "Wouldn't want to get the glare from Glynda Goodwitch, now would we?"